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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135583">Wizards of Jedrua Island</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BensonTheWriter227/pseuds/BensonTheWriter227'>BensonTheWriter227</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Betrayal, Elemental Magic, Fights, Graphic Description, Implied Relationships, MacGuffins, Magic-Users, Original Character Death(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:21:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BensonTheWriter227/pseuds/BensonTheWriter227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lars and Mark, two adult wizards. One is a former warrior exiled from the kingdom because of his uncontrolled powers, and the other is an alchemist that had to escape from the burning place of birth, after a band of bandits killed his family. After meeting up with each other, they try to find their respective inner peace, all the while traversing throughout the island in search of those who ruined their respective lives...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. ACT ONE: Two Mages | The Two Tragedies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story was designed after the conclusion of City Of Fallen Heroes. This has nothing to do with the Broken Souls saga. Moving on.</p>
<p>Act I Opening Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okyi0pMzuao</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Once upon a time, there live two mages, one with unintentional powers, and the other with the professional skills. But soon, they'll face their respective tragedies, both that result in them arriving into the woods...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<h1>
  <strong>WIZARDS OF JEDRUA ISLAND</strong>
</h1>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">
  <strong> <em> <span class="da-editor-italic">Chapter 1: The Two</span> <span class="da-editor-italic"> Tragedies</span> </em> </strong>
</h2>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">All of the industrial powerhouse that is the Gadarassa Kingdom is on the verge of collapse, as it rocks and the earth beneath it trembles once more, as a result of a strong punch. Cracks and fissures continue to rip open throughout the kingdom, swallowing not only the buildings, but not before ruining them in the process, and the citizens into the endless maw. With every powerful punch that produces the quakes, more of the once-proud capital city falls onto ruin. Tall marble and brass towers crumble onto ruins while most parts of the Gadarassa Kingdom collapse and slide down the lands to the ravaged earth beneath it.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Whatever the earthquakes hadn't destroyed, the fire emitted from one man's hands helped with the destruction. It erupts from the hands like a volcano, igniting everything the fire had touched and allowing a large smoke of ash, dust and soot float into the air. They had already eclipsed the sun, thus creating a murderous shade of red in the sky. While the citizens' skin is carbonated and turned into outright black as a result of direct contact on the fire, most of them have either evacuated or hid beneath, so as to hide from the murderous rampage, whoever the mage is behind it all. But eventually, all of it has an end.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The one that started this whole rampage, a 34-year old Lars Henson, a muscular mage with spiky-straight black hair that's connected with a short beard on his chin, has amber-golden eyes, and wearing a brown vest, white short-sleeved Victorian Era shirt, dark-grey pants and finally, boots, soon stops it. As he places his hands to his hips, he inspects the damage he has caused, and along with it, the gradual arrival of angered citizens (the ones who have survived the slaughter) and the king of Gadarassa Kingdom, Oswald III, ultimately closing in on him and giving off the glares he hates.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"TRAITOR!!! BLASPHEMER!!!" is all Lars has ever heard uttered by Oswald III, as he points his finger towards the mage, followed by the folk following the same and shouting obscenities and names he abhors so much. Eventually, he couldn't handle it, and so, he runs off from the ruins he has caused himself, and into the woods...</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">It is the apex of Lars' fall from grace.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"> </p>
<hr/>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"> </p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">  Lars continues to run throughout the entirety of the Forest of Lost Souls, his footsteps reverberating throughout the green grass and tears running off his eyes. The colors of brown and green are blurry and indecisive, as a result of the transparent tears. Anything recognizable is immediately buried due to the small rivers of the liquefied salt running through his face and cheeks, upon witnessing of what he had done and in addition, facing the exile he has dreaded for years.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The wind wrathfully pulls and snatches at the hair as it blows in every given direction. He also squints his eyes, so as to stop himself from seeing the angered spirits severely scolding him. Around the back on his hands are the deep-brown burns depicting the fires and cracks, thus representing his respective powers, and on his back is a large sword strapped to it. The rest of his clothing is covered in dust and ash.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">He cannot believe of what happened that has led to this. He's supposed to be the next in line of succession, once Oswald III either died or abdicated. It was his dream-come-true. The cheering from the citizens, the coronation, the feast-filled dinner to celebrate, he had hoped that it will be his best moment in life, after all of the years in training and participation in Jedrua War. And then, all of the sudden, his suppressed mage-like powers have exploded internally, and began to uncontrollably use them. From there, everything has spiraled out of control, not only destroying parts of the kingdom, but also in him being outright shamed and exiled. It is all he has feared for years, ever since he was born in a poor family.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The exiled mage eventually finds cover in form of a large spruce tree, and slams his own body onto the brown, woody surface. Breathing heavily from all the running he had gone through, Lars can still hear the angered crowd chanting 'Death to Lars!', and sees them armed with pitchforks and torches. Only seeing the sharp ends of one pitchfork stab into the ground makes him frightened, as he jolts from the hiding position; but it only results in him being spotted by the angry mob, whom the bald leader of it immediately points his finger at him. Growling, the leader picks up the pitchfork and rises him above his shoulder, as if preparing himself to throw it at him again. Lars yelps in fear, and in a flash, quickly runs off by the time the large fork has been thrown, only stabbing the tree in the process.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Angered, the bald commander pulls off the pitchfork, also tearing off bits of the sharp pieces of the wood. Looking around, he notices the mage running off in the distance, leading him to shout and rise it, followed by the others doing the same, and then they run off towards him. Now under the chase, Lars continues to speed up, in a desperate search for a shelter. The heartbeat is going faster and faster, as his running goes along, his eyes now catching a sight of the opening of a rather large cave. He fully turns his body to the location of the cave and immediately after entering there, slams the opening shut with a rock, only hearing the hysterical screaming from the group and the sounds of footsteps, before it is eventually drowned by the silence.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Lars can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as he then sits down to the cold, hard floor of rock, before eventually starting to cry, a trait he has also suppressed during the chase. His dreams were destroyed by his own hands and there is nothing that he can fix, once he has begun this huge fuck-up. He has never felt so betrayed by his own actions. He rises his body and pushes the rock to the left, opening the cave and getting out of here, looking side-to-side, so as to make sure that the mob is far behind him. Sure enough, it is gone, and while he didn't certainly kill them, he deduces that it might be the same mob that called him names and swore at him for that. Looking on a silky large moonlight surrounded by his little shining children, called the stars, Lars realizes that hadn't he shown his magical powers, he wouldn't have gone into this situation.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Goddammit," he angrily shouted, as he then hits the tree, "I had one chance, and I botched it badly!"</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">His punch is so strong, that it even scares the small birds away, reacting to it in fear and flying off, accompanied with them chirping. What Lars doesn't expect is that he has formed a large crack on it. And soon after that, the tree falls off into the grassy ground, with a loud thud.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Upon seeing his magical powers, the warrior shivers in fear, before eventually proceeding to run off again. Trying to ignore that he can be spotted by the mob once again, he manages to find another shelter, this time in form of a large tower-like house.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">This shelter has provided something else: a sense of safety and calmness to him. The house itself is nicely decorated, with vines providing a stark contrast to the dull-grey blocks that it calls itself a wall, the windows give way to the silks of moonlight shine through, and the floor is stacked with furniture, along with a pack of stairs next to him, implying that it can lead him to the second floor.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Lars drags his body with his legs, before bumping onto the sofa with red cushions, and falling head-first into them, resulting in him finally huffing out. His hair has become disheveled and covered in soot and ash, probably due to him getting exposed to both of them during his fit of rampage. Getting up, he unbuttons his shirt and removes it, along with his vest, revealing not just the chest hair, but also scars on his torso and abdomen, gained throughout the Jedrua War. His eyes are also baggy and covered in black, perhaps because of lack of sleep.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Grumbling to himself, he reaches out to the wooden cup that contains water and downs on it, rising his body slightly upwards, closing his eyes, and letting the liquid go down. Finishing the drinking, he puts it back to the table, before telling himself, "How? How was that possible? I had repressed my secret skills for a while." The reply arrives immediately, in form of squawking by the parrot-dragon fusion, stuck in the cage.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Lars' rather pointy ears twitch upon hearing it. He then moves his sight towards the creature that made the sound, eyes shot up. The hybrid looks like a combo between a common parrot and of a smaller dragon, scaly body and leathery wings. He has three toes with yellow-white claws on his two feet, a black beak on his head, glow-yellow eyes. Tilting his head side to side, his favourite tic, one can also see the scales on the neck. What's notable in here is that he has orange-brown fur covering the top part, which differentiates from the other hybrids.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The hybrid may have been the pet of the previous owner, who had died months ago.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The banished warrior hummed in confusion, upon seeing him. His thoughts have become concentrated on one animal alone, as if interested to know of his history. Who is he? Why is he on a cage, but more importantly, is he able to talk?</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The animal, however, angrily pecks Lars' hand when he tries to offer it to him. Wailing in pain and clutching onto the hand, he asks in rage, "You son of a bitch, did you do that on purpose!?"</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The dragon-parrot wrathfully squawks once more in response to this question, hearing the outrage from the swordsman. He even reaches out towards him using his claws, leading the warrior to back off. Seeing him go away in a centimeter, the creature calms down and lands back to where he is in.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Lars huffs out a sigh, as he then sits back to the sofa, and then places his arms to the table. "Look. I didn't mean to provoke you like that. But I have a question: who are you?" He asks in a guttural growling voice.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Me?" The creature suddenly speaks, startling the warrior. "I am Farrakhan, idiot."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Lars blinks and looks at Farrakhan in a befuddled gaze. "Okay, Farrakhan. Can you please explain to me where the hell can I sleep in? Where's the bed? I need to get adapted to the new norms, following my banishment."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Farrakhan still glares at the swordsman. He then wrathfully squawks at the latter, as if trying to call him out for his obliviousness. "Why should I know?!" He asked in irritation. "Why do you ask me? Again, why? You should've known better." Behind him and outside of the house, a crow caws at him, causing him to flinch in fear.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Lars, fed up, glares towards at the hybrid, closing in on him. With their eyes meeting, Farrakhan finally feels fear for the new owner, leading the former to speak again, "Because I was being hunted by the angry mob who exiled me, due to my magic being uncontrollable."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">He then takes his blankets beneath the sofa, but not before taking off his boots, and falling down, covers himself up and quickly drifting into sleep. As he sleeps, he gets the nightmares of what could have happened, hadn't he escaped from the grasp of the mob: he would've been burned by the stake, not so different to how the females, who had been accused of practicing witchcraft, were executed; he would've been stomped to death or worse, had his whole body slashed and stabbed repeatedly. Anytime he dreams of such, he would jolt up with a gasp, followed by him heavily breathing, and then, falling back asleep. What's worse is that, with the exception of Farrakhan, should he meet someone, the person will be frightened and call up to the people to warn about his presence, and the rest will remain as history.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">The muscular persona non grata is very unsure of his future, of what would entail next in his life. Sure, he might've tried to stop himself from doing such an irrational act - after all, Henson is known for his short temper, often enraged by anything related to his personal life. But facing exile is something entirely different.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Nonetheless, even with night terrors and uncertainty, he is able to sleep well through the night.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"> </p>
<hr/>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"> </p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">   In a distance, specifically, five meters off of the partly-destroyed Gadarassa Kingdom, lies the prosperous Handarruka Kingdom, ruled by the aristocratic, yet kind king, named Frederick IV. This red emperor-style suit-wearing ruler has brought this into the state it's now enjoying, even with their little involvement in the Jedrua War, leaving behind Gadarassa to fend for itself during it, leading the kingdom to suffer extensive damage, not much different than how Lars damaged it so badly. Nonetheless, it's basking in glorious white concrete large walls that protect it from the invading forces, accompanied with several tall towers accompanied with trained archers to destroy any opposition, middle-size houses that several people and reside in, inner trade going well, and finally the main icon; a huge (450 meters, to be specific), white-colored, Classical Era-styled kingdom, filled with rich treasures, red, long carpets and torches on the halls of it, and finally, the underground levels, which contains the Alchemy Room.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Inside that room, where it has tons of small bottles containing several of the strangely-colored liquids on the table and various equipment for the studies of them, one of them, a professional alchemist, known as Mark Kastron, is residing there. This 35-year-old prodigy is something to behold; he may be less muscular than the now-banished Lars, but is nevertheless strong in physical sense, has brown eyes that are partially covered by his glasses he tends to wear, short, curly yellow hair, and freckles on his cheeks. When it comes to his clothing, it's his simplicity that makes him rather charming: black boots, brown trousers and a simple buttoned blouse with gold lines surrounding it.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">While mixing up the magenta and blue liquids in one bottle, he then hears knocking on the door, interrupting his favourite activity and leading him to glance up to the wooden door. It's then opened by Frederick's guard, who looks like a cross between a viking and a knight, specifically on the armor. Holding up the battle axe on his hand, he steps aside for the king himself to come into the room, to speak up about his son's future.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Good morning, son," the king politely greeted with a melodic part of his speaking, as he then stopped next to Mark. "I see that you're trying your best to create a new potion, one that can revolutionize the potion-making."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Ahh..." Mark then ponders for a bit, upon hearing what Frederick has just said to him. He then replies back to him, "Your Majesty, I think of yes as an answer."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"That's nice to hear, my son," Frederick nods and then smiles to him, even gently messing his son's curly hair for a bit. "With all due respect, your future is looking bright."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Indeed, when Mark was a child, he was sent to being home-schooled at the request of Frederick himself, with the help of his son's home teacher by the name of Herald Gabbosh, who taught him various techniques on potion-making. As a result of this, Mark was able to create the first potion for his old father, back when suffered from a delirious fever. Since then, he had gradually made more and more potions to both himself and to the citizens, eventually selling them to customers for the rather decent price of 45 coins. Because of this, along with him being a caring doctor, when Handarruka Kingdom had been involved in Jedrua War for a short period of time, he found himself in a high prospect of getting a career of an alchemist.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Kastron grins back to his king-father, as he shouts out in happiness, "Indeed, my dad! I am looking forward to that profession I've been passionate about for years!", before proceeding to run off from his working room and into the outside. Frederick tries to stop his son from doing so, but to no avail.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Upon getting out of his closed room, he can finally breathe in the fresh air of the kingdom he was raised in. He can see the citizens greeting him, which he does so with waving his hand, as well as finally stepping to the private school for any potential wizards who can be trained into becoming professional handlers of magic. Opening up the mystical-looking doors to the school, and looking at the plant-based walls of the school, he cheerfully greets with the principal of the school, who looks like a friendly orc, before entering to the water-based battlefield, where the kid mages are training their water-based powers, by swiping their wood targets with a stream of blue-cyan liquid. One of the students he waves towards is the black-skinned 23-year-old witch Eka, with middle-length black hair, and wearing traditional school uniform.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Good morning, students!" Mark happily greeted to the trainees, resulting in them cheering for him in return. He smiles upon hearing the admiration of that level. "How's been training of water, kids?"</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Most of the answers he gets are generic, such as 'I'm doing good, thanks for asking', 'Pretty great', and more. But none of the answers have managed to make him so happy is from Eka, who she replies with, "I may not have been able to get into this position, if it weren't for you, Mr. Mark. Thanks to your kindness and bravery, you have managed to get me to where I am now. Thank you, Mr. Mark, for all of the hard work you put onto us."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Mark makes a short chuckle when he heard of that reply, before following that with, "No problem, young lady. I hope you can be a professional water witch some day."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">After talking shortly with the black witch, the alchemist soon leaves the battlefield, before entering to the fire-based training ground, where he sees the lava-red rocks, the dark magenta-red sand, and eventually sees 22-year-old Drakko. He's also black, just like Eka, but he has very short, to the point of his head being nearly bald, hair, has wood-brown eyes, wearing the black cape draping over his body, with the exception of his feet, which are covered up with dark brown boots. Here, he practices himself how to float down with the fire, leaving a trail of the colors of red and orange, before eventually jumping off from it and landing into the sand, right as Kastron claps to him in return.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Wow," he exclaimed in sheer joy, "how did you even learn that?!"</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Heh, dumb luck, I guess," Drakko replied, shrugging off his shoulders. "I just wanna learn how to control fire. Here, lemme show you."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">He then demonstrates his ability to control fire, by rising up his hand, making it to go out from the red torch on the wall, before dragging it closer and closer to his skin, then he proceeds to swipe his hand, leading up to the trail hitting onto the wooden target that features a poorly drawn version of a dragon. It breaks off upon contact, to which after doing so, hides back his hand into the cape. This sends Mark into a state of awe, as he had witnessed what Drakko is capable of. However, just as Mark is about to compliment his powers, he hears the huge golden bells of the castle ringing loudly to warn others of the Handarruka Kingdom of the invasion, which is where he then runs off, along with the black student.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Here, he sees the citizens of the kingdom panicking, and the gates being pushed further and further into the opening by the three muscular invaders with odd skin color and weirdly enough, scales on it, and their green-colored eyeballs are the only things that can be seen beneath the large cloaks that don the invaders. Holding onto the huge wooden pillar and backing off for a moment, they then run towards the giant gates and break them open, and then they throw it off towards several of the houses, turning them into nothing more than the marble ruins and messy wood. Seeing the beginning of the destruction, the trio roar in satisfaction, before rushing off to cause more chaos to the kingdom.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">With loud shrieks from the innocent folks echoing throughout the kingdom, the first instances of the strange-looking individuals unleashing a huge trail of flames to the houses, thus setting them on the claustrophobic fire and killing those who are inside of them. With irises reflecting the dancing fire, Kastron becomes outright fearful, as he takes Drakko along with him; not just him, but also Eka joins in to make sure that the fires will be put out as quick as possible. However, the black kid, specifically Drakko, is the first to go, as the third mutated invader lunges out to the latter and outright tears him to shreds, gore and torn limbs and all. Eka, horrified to see her friend brutally murdered, launches a trail of blue water onto the invader, pushing him off. However, Drakko is dismembered already, so, it's too late to save her friend.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"NO!!" She exclaims in sadness, upon picking up the dismembered hand of her only friend, and then his deeply scratched out head, with a missing eye and torn lower jaw. "Drakko... no..."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"Eka! We have to go!" Mark then takes the black witch away, the latter dropping the decapitated head to the stone road. By that point, the sky has become the clouded, blood-red-orange color, due to the fires the trio has set out in the moment's notice. As the huge, dancing firestorm eats up the wood and the unfortunate souls, and the invaders tearing the ones that hadn't been caught on fire to pieces, Mark fearfully enters to the kingdom, where he spots Frederick trying to fight back against the invader, which he successfully decapitates the latter, but unfortunately, the king's reign comes to a brutal end, where the second invader grabs him by his head and forcibly turns it to the right, snapping his neck.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Screaming in pure hysteria, seeing the kindhearted king being murdered, his hidden powers are revealed. As the bolts of thunder emerge out of the hands, the bolts arrive to the invaders, electrocuting them and turning into heaps of ash. Upon coming out of his rage mode, Kastron yelps in fear, but not before a huge fireball comes out of nowhere and crashes into the Handarruka Kingdom, destroying the roof and the Throne room, prompting the latter to run off, along with Eka, who although injured (she has bloody scratches on her arm), has luckily managed to fight the third one off.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">However, one question remains unanswered: just who was behind the fireball that destroyed parts of the kingdom? Could it be either Lars? One of the invaders? Or some other outside force?</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Most importantly, who was behind the summoning of the invaders in the first place?</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">As soon as Mark and Eka arrive to the forced-open gate, they easily get out of the gradually destroying kingdom and enter into the woods. The former, with his tears stinging out his eyes, shouts 'No!' again and again, before devolving into pure rambling about what will happen to him now, given that he has witnessed the death of the king, as well as his discovery of powers. The latter, in the meantime, floats on the fast waves, trying to make sure that the alchemist will safely run to the safety.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"I don't know what kind of fate awaits me now," Mark screams out the only coherent sentence amidst the ramble.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">"It's alright, friend," Eka reassured. "I'm sure we'll finally find some type of safety from these freaks."</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">Little do both of them know, is that as they venture deeper and deeper into the woods, they'll encounter someone else...</p>
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  <span class="da-editor-bold">END OF CHAPTER 1</span>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. In the Woods</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mark and Eka have ended up lost in the woods. However, this isn't the only that concerns them: they'll also have to face a threat of the legend, originally conjured by his dad but is actually real, and the new face for the former to meet with...</p>
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    <p> </p><p> </p><h2>
  <span class="u"> <strong> <em>Chapter Two: In the</em> </strong> <strong> <em> Woods</em> </strong> </span>
</h2><p> </p><p>With a sigh of tiredness, Mark slumps onto the floor of the stone slab, located somewhere around the middle of the forest. It is a huge, circular hunk of rocks, covered in moss and fallen leaves, with carved symbols that depicted strange events that occured in the forest and has a cold temperature around the floor. A middle-sized broken obelisk stands on the center of it, with several gods reaching out and screaming for their dear life is shown on the top of it. Bits of sunlight trickle down from the trees, illuminating the otherwise darkened forest.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, the floor is uncomfortable to both sit in or lie in, much to Mark's chagrin, and this is the reason why he has picked up a single, slightly charred pillow during his evacuation from the burning Handarruka Kingdom. Hadn't he been so stressed or traumatized by what he had gone through, he might've taken a nap, right here and there. Instead, he places it to the obelisk and puts his head there, so that he can listen to the buzzing of the glowing fireflies that fly across the forest.</p><p>Just then, Eka arrives to the slab, still on the riding wave, before eventually descending there and making it disappear upon the landing. "Did you find the path you're looking for?" She asked, curious for the progress.</p><p>Mark shakes his head from left to right in denial. "No, lady, hadn't found it yet," he replied shortly after. Now he and Eka would have to travel throughout the location, in search for a possible exit.</p><p>And to be fair, the alchemist's right, for once. During his childhood, Frederick would often take Mark to the same woods that he, as an adult, has ended up on, and would usually tell him various legends and tales about it, from the common ones, such as the wooden elves that guard this place to the more complex fairytales, like how it's designed to be a maze, reserved only for the bravest of souls to enter and solve. Now, if his stories were indeed true, then the alchemist would've been more eager for more answer for the questions he had asked. Did the Faeries of Forest use to own this place? Did the elves, that are made of wood, really exist, and did the princes that traversed through the woodlands captured the original citizens that resided there? He cannot help but wonder if Frederick had just made it all up as a means to make his tales more palpable. His propensity to tell dreamlike legends to the citizens, including his son, is what awed them. The more he told, the more surreal and fantastical they become.</p><p>Eka is unsure about the reply that Mark has provided for her. "Mark, don't be a pessimist. The sooner we reach to the exit, the better." Sadly for the duo, due to their little knowledge of the forest, they're both befuddled on how long will it take for them to find out where the exit is.</p><p>The alchemist soon gets up and looks around the woods, probably to search for the best path to take. All he sees are numerous spruces and oaks carefully placed around the green grass and no sign of either a dirt or a rock path. <em>Well, goddammit,</em> he thought, angered by the revelation. Mark doesn't realize, until it is pointed to by his friend, that he can also use the deer-horse, basically a hybrid of a horse and deer, with characters of the former, such as hair on the back and a tail, and antlers that are similar to an ordinary deer, walks alone on the forest as the one that can provide them a safe and fast trip. Coincidentally, the deer-horse is near them, simply eating the growing grass.</p><p>Mark, curious on if he can properly use the saddle to the deer-horse, comes closer to him and puts it on, before strapping it on and climbing up onto it. Gesturing Eka to come to the saddle, she does so, exclaiming with a 'hap!', as she mounts to the creature. After doing so, the former firmly squeezes the ribs with legs, along with a light nudge from the heels, the hybrid immediately begins to run forward, with sounds of galloping being heard throughout it. While that's happening, Kastron breathes in the fresh air and feels the wind carefully blowing his golden-yellow hair, being held tightly by Eka at his request. He is nearly smiling, thinking, <em>If it weren't for my bud Eka, we wouldn't have arrived to where we are right now.</em></p><p>While the hybrid continues to gallop fast, some of the glowing green eyeballs begin to appear one by one through the cracks of leaves, as if the strangers are spying Mark and his water witch friend. Ignoring the obvious, the alchemist shouts, "Faster!", leading the deer-horse to do what he said. He doesn't notice that the same eyeballs continue to move from one bush of leaves that cover the branches to another, just like the fusion.</p><p>
  <em>Just then, Mark sees a vision that the entirety of the forest has become a charred, wrecked location, with toppled trees and fire that swirls around the land, scorching and destroying everything it touches, sending the deep-black smoke that covers the sky, coloring it blood-dark-red. Looking behind, he witnesses Eka's burnt skeleton lunging towards him with a horrific shriek. With wails of hysteria upon being caught, he loses control of the equally burnt deer-horse and falls to the abyss that has been formed, with one aghast scream echoing in the distance...<br/></em>
</p><p>Gasping in horror from the vision, the alchemist, until it's too late, doesn't stop the hybrid, and as a result of his lateness, makes it trip from a middle rock and all three of them, meaning the deer-horse, Eka and Mark himself, who scream in fear, fall into a river with a splash. The problem? The current of the lake is wild, leading the trio, once they have emerged from the depth (it is shallow, but still), to be moved forward by the sweeping rush of it, leading them to flail in fear. That continued, until they are pushed off by a massive waterfall, causing them to fall again to the huge pool of water with another splash, this time, much bigger. Finally, after that crazy little trip, they emerge to the surface, all of them soaked, panting, and scared.</p><p>"Shit, buddy," Mark began to say, shaking himself like a wet dog trying to dry himself up, "that is one <em>hell</em> of an adventure."</p><p>"I know, right?" the water witch asked back, wringing the witch hat to remove the dripping wetness from it, before putting it back on. "And what's worse, we're even more lost than ever."</p><p>"<strong>DAMMIT!!</strong>" shouted Mark loudly, to the point that an echo is produced by it.</p><p>"I told you so, Mr. Know-It-All Mark Kastron, you should've stopped the horse, before it was too late," Eka scolded, complete with her index finger wagging, leading the alchemist to sigh in frustration. "Is that clear?"</p><p>"I get that, but I have a question: where the hell did we up in anyway? The forest is so dense and-and-and huge, and..." another sigh of disappointment is emitted from him. "Now, we gotta get our feet back and continue our search, Miss Eka. Understood?"</p><p>"Understood. Let's go."</p><p>And soon, Mark and Eka, along with the hybrid, continue their journey to look for what they hope to be an escape from the large woods. What they don't expect is that the same eyeballs appear from the cracks once more, this time, frowning, as if they will finally find a way to ambush the two of them. Inside them, tiny treehouses are built on the branches, with cheering coming from the wooden, human-like creatures. These are the Wood Elves, the guardians of the forest, who would stop at nothing to protect their location of origin, even if their methods of achieving that goal might be violent. There are possibly dozens of them, judging by the army, consisting of three hundred spear elves, a hundred of sword elves, and two hundred and fifty five archers, that have come together for the daily meeting, and it is led by three brothers (the founders of the species): Atta, Raaka, and Nujiku.</p><p>The first brother, Atta, who is slightly taller, unlike his brothers and the citizens, is the leader of the army. He's wearing a crown made of a green leaf, a beak of a nightingale on his face, a robe that covers up to his hips and the back of it extending to the heels, and the feet covered by oak-brown boots. He usually holds a staff, with a glowing emerald on the top, on his right hand, and isn't seen without Raaka and Nujiku next to them. Whenever Atta speaks, all he says is 'Ara' and 'ta'.</p><p>Raaka, the commander of the species, is wearing a leaf hood that covers up his chipped face, and a bandana around his mouth, perhaps due to the scars around it. A short-sleeved vest is worn over the torso, abdomen, and parts of the thighs, and, like Atta, the oak-brown boots are worn by Raaka. His preferred weapon is a tiny scythe, made of a ripped bough, as seen by a single folio hanging by there. Like Atta, Nujiku, and the rest of the Wood Elves, he can only speak in choppy gibberish, and in this case, 'Raa' and either 'ka' or 'ku'.</p><p>The third and final founder, Nujiku, when it comes to the first two, has no difference in his attire, being just a combination of both what Atta and Raaka clothe. The only difference is a wooden helmet, leather gloves and his weapon of choice is a bow, as evidenced by a bag of arrows on his back. And similarly to his brothers, his language is indistinguishable chatter, this time, consisting of chanting his name in an usual clunky manner.</p><p>"Ara-ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-taaa," Atta said to the army, meaning, <em>'These bastards are here, and we have to make a plan for our invasion.'</em></p><p>"Raa-ka-ka-ka, ku-ka-ku, raa-ka-ku," warned Raaka, perhaps saying, <em>'But they may be dangerous, so a plan is needed, our leader.'</em></p><p>"Nu-ji-ku, nu-ji-ji-ku?" Nujiku asked of what would sound like in human's way of speaking, <em>'So, what's on our agenda for today?'</em>. As a result of the question, the archers and spear elves begin to shout in unison, demanding to know what the leaders have planned.</p><p>Growing more and more fed up by the noise, Atta first raises his staff, then loudly stomps it to the circular wooden stage, and upon doing so, bolts of lighting burst out of the emerald and fly around the locating, shutting everyone up. "Ara!" he shouted, which may mean <em>'Silence!'</em></p><p>Then, Raaka, irritated by the lack of Atta's attempts to come up with comes front, pushing the leader off, which finally silences the growing rage that built within the army. In doing so, silence creeps back like a looming mist, the soldiers eager to find out the answer of the question they pose for him: what shall they do to make the ambush against Mark and Eka successful? Finally, with a proud rise of his scythe and a single shout of "Raaaa-kaaaaa!" ("Let it begin!"), the archers and the spear-elves wildly cheer in celebration and jump up and down repeatedly. At long last, the agenda is put into motion.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>   Meanwhile, Lars, now accompanied by his new pet Farrakhan, who's sitting on his left metal shoulder pad that the muscular swordsman/fire mage had created for himself, is causally walking around the forest field, while dragging his large sword through the ground, creating a dirt trail in the process, because of its' tip being very sharp. All the while, he lowly narrates to his pet on what happened in his life that led to this situation he's at right now, "My name is Lars Henson. Warrior of Jedrua War, and a future king for Gadarassa Kingdom, or so it seemed."</p><p>With a little 'eep' from Farrakhan, the fire mage continues to tell, "I remember the joyous reaction I used to hear, whenever I made an appearance. Now that changed into cries of 'shame', 'traitor', 'blasphemer' and more, and currently, as an exiled one, I'm all alone, with just you, my trusted sword and fire that boils in my soul." By the time he takes a pause, he has ended up on the edge of the cliff that ends the upper field, that leads to more trees, and thus, he also stops dragging the sword, ending the drawing of the trail. "Is this how life works? A lonely path, filled with hopeless and broken dreams, a road to lots of disappointments? Has it been like that, ever since God has created the world and, at the same time, severely punished the first humans for the crime of eating the Forbidden Fruit, which Eve was tempted to by the Devil, disguising himself as a serpent, followed by Eve doing the same to Adam?"</p><p>His monologue is, in and of itself, philosophical. There's something about the idea that a man, who's been kicked out of the kingdom, could remember the first chapter of the Book of Genesis and sum it up, woven with his personal questions about life and his own experiences. Has he actually read the Bible as a kid, or his family taught him that? That question may be confusing to him, but nevertheless, it is impressive. Lars is about to ask more questions about the idea of purpose, until Farrakhan interrupts his thoughts with a whistle, making Lars to turn his attention to him. When he does so, the latter points out to what's current happening under the edge. The exiled swordsman/flame mage looks down to see the two familiar faces, that of Mark and Eka, walking around with another hybrid, just like Farrakhan. Looking up to his pet again, he asks, "Is this what you had pointed to, Farry?"</p><p>"Yes, sir," the dragon-parrot replies, accompanying it with a nod.</p><p>"Huh," he remarks, surprised to see the figures going through the trees. "I guess there is God, after all. Perhaps, I can greet them."</p><p>"You should," Farrakhan encourages.</p><p>With that, Lars turns around starts to run off from the edge of the cliff, finally eager to meet the new faces. Who are they, according to him? The answer to his new question will become quickly apparent, once the duo will run into trouble.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>  Back at the deep forest, the alchemist and the water witch, who is now controlling the deer-horse, continue to peacefully stroll the forest, the former even whistling to the tunes his late father has sung to him during his childhood. The sun above the forest is still shining as ever, the gold-yellow sunlight providing them a much-needed help in leading them through the deeper parts of the woods. While that's happening, the Wood Elves and the leaders stealthily walk by and see them entering to the empty spot, the one where it has no trees, and the light fully appearing, at long last, which is where they stop by and slump again, this time, taking in on the enjoyable smell of the grass. Seeing this as an opportunity to invade their rest, Atta screams out loudly, "Ara!!" ("Attack!!"), which, evidently, the archers are the first to do so, by firing out the sharpened twigs from their crossbows.</p><p>Eka, seeing the imminent arrival of the twigs, gets up and drags Mark away from them, leading them to just hit the ground and get stuck in it. The deer-horse also jumps off in fear, but instead of staying close to its owners, it runs off, which Mark, despite his attempts to make sure that he won't run any further, including shouting, the hybrid has already escaped from the inevitable battle with the legend creatures. When the Wood Elves do make their appearance, and the alchemist sees them, he first tries his best to suppress his laughter, but fails to do so, and he falls onto the hysterical laughing. To him, they are supposed to be this creepy, woody monstrosities that are capable of turning the victim into the tree, not the unintentionally ugly, yet cute ones. But to the leaders and the army, they take it as a threat, and so, enraged by the alchemist's laughing fit, Atta shouts, "Ta-taaa!" ("Silence!"), rising the staff upwards and sending another bout of bolts to burst out of the emerald.</p><p>Terrified by this, Mark jolts backwards, leading Eka, though having her water floating on her hands, to come forward to them, so that she can reason them. "Huh, so these are the ones your dad has told you, when you were a kid, eh?" The alchemist nods in nervousness, his lightning appearing on his hands, colored in a combination of white and purple, for some reason. It appears that the color of the magic Mark has can change in hue, depending on his emotions. She turns away from him and looks at the elves, asking again, "What in the ever-living hell do you want from us?"</p><p>"Ka-ka-ku-ku ku-ka-ka," Raaka responded, pointing his finger at the water witch, saying in the usual gibberish, 'We want to talk on why have you decided to come here and disrupt our peace.'</p><p>"Us? Disrupting your peace?" Eka asked back, now irritated by the response, by which she forms the first blob of water into the scythe-shaped sword and points the tip at Atta and Raaka. "Maybe <em>you </em>are the ones who have interrupted our peace!"</p><p>Angered even further by the blame game the water witch is now engaging in, all three of the warrior leaders prepare their own weaponry, and so does its army. But once Raaka, though accidentally, slices at the water witch's sword, thus disintegrating it and the droplets falling to the dirt, the fight begins. Eka rushes forward and jumps, spawning two new blobs to the palms of her hands and shape-shifts them into the spears without the sticks stuck to them and flings them to the elves, the latter of which immediately dodge it, causing the sharp tips, once they hit the ground, to make two splashes across the ground. Seeing this as a declaration of war by the duo, the soldiers lunge towards them, their swords, spears and crossbows readied to harm them.</p><p>Mark, horrified by the inescapable chance of battle, attempts to run off, only to stop by and encountering the rising water wall, of which he glances behind to see Eka, who also raises the second wall to block off the attacks from the Wood Elves. Deciding that a fight might be the only option that may relay in good results, he joins in, finally revealing his lightning power to his friend. Rushing towards the elves, he shouts, "Bolt Strike!", releasing dozens of lightning bolts to Atta, which he counterattacks with the release of another dosage of bolts, initiating of what can only be described as a magic lock, sparks of electricity being released, the two of them being pushed off from one side to another, as both Mark and Atta try their hardest to be the dominant force. After two straight minutes of that act, Mark gets pushed off with the force, making Atta the victor of the magic lock, as the mage leader comes closer to the lightning alchemist, who is struggling to get up, grunting, with his still active staff, preparing to deliver a single, killing blow to him. However, with another scream of "Bolt Strike!", Kastron manages to get to the sitting position and uses it to push Atta further off from him, giving the former some time to get up and get back into action.</p><p>When it comes to the situation between Eka and the army, it's safe to say that the former is winning, at least for that period, as her water abilities have proved to be effective against the useless twigs the latter are attempting to injure her with. No matter how many times the soldiers try hard to land a hit to her, the water witch proves them to be a challenge, with several attacks from her either injuring them badly, or outright killing them. For instance, when the sword elves try to climb up to her chocolate-brown skin, in a futile chance to stab it, she not only flings them out with a swipe of her hands, thus knocking them out to the ground, she also yells, " Liquid Whirlwind!", which releases a watery whirlwind in a close range, that can decapitate anyone unfortunately caught in it, and that includes both the sword elves and the archers, who, with their bloodstained stumps that leak out green blood, fall to the ground, along with the beheaded heads. Though, she has a new challenge to deal with: that of Raaka and Nujiku readying themselves for the battle against her, when they close in on her.</p><p>Meanwhile, as the second fight between Mark and Atta continues, the latter attempts to initiate a final killing attack, by releasing dose after dose of thunder to the former, but he seems to dodge them one by one, leaving charred cavities on the land. Desperate for a last chance for the blow, Atta recharges the staff, but it may be too late for him to react, as Kastron lunges to him and does a full-circle kick at him, ripping off his head from the neck and sending to the sky for a short period, before it falls and then touches the ground with a sickening squishing noise.</p><p>After finishing up the battle, he dashes forward to help Eka. Making sure that he would help her in defeating the remainder of the Wood Elves, he leaps and tackles Raaka to the ground, leaving Nujiku to fend for himself against the water witch's abilities. For a second, Mark Kastron manages to deliver a severe punch to his face, resulting in a swell forming around the forehead of the sickle leader. But then, the latter kicks him with two legs to the stomach, pushing him off from the grasp and throwing him off to the ground, leading Mark to grunt in pain. Struggling to get up, due to the pain he's gotten from that kick, a shadow of Raaka gradually makes an appearance, as he then raises his sickle above his head, ready to do what Atta attempted and failed at: killing him.</p><p>"Ka-kaaa," said Raaka sadistically, meaning, 'Sweet dreams', then unleashes a devilish laugh, finally eager to murder the one that killed Atta. It seems like he'll avenge him for good. However, a large sword plunges to the torso of Raaka, spilling out the blood slowly, to which the second leader drops the sickle to the land, making croaking noises, and dragging his hands to the sharp tip of the sword. Then, it retracts from it fast, leading him to arch his back, before first dropping to his knees and then falling to the ground, with his eyes extinguished.</p><p>As if that wasn't enough for Nujiku to comprehend on what the hell is going on, someone mutters behind his back, "Fire Spear", releasing a huge, flaming spear from the palm of the hand and brutally stabs the bow elf leader to the head. With a large gash that extends to the upper jaw, Nujiku then falls down dead, next to the corpse of Raaka. Shocked from what they have seen, Mark and Eka turn their heads to see a glare from Farrakhan and a stare of, in their eyes, a complete stranger, who has extended the right palm and is now holding a bloodstained sword on the left hand.</p><p>Quietness comes back in full swing, with the exception of the occasional whistle from the wind that gently blows the leaves, the hairs of the three people, and the grass. All three of them wait patiently for one of them to break it and question on who someone is, what's going on and how has one person come in and saved them. This lasts for three straight minutes, until Eka yelps at the 'stranger', and attempting to come closer to him, "Hey, who are you, alien? Speak up!"</p><p>"Eka, don't, he might be threatening," Mark warned, gently pushing the water witch off, and then does what she did, though in hesitation. "Listen. I'd like to thank you for helping us, we really appreciate it. But we would like to learn a bit about you: what's your name? Care to explain to us, please?"</p><p>The stranger, or, unsurprisingly, Lars, finally speaks up, "My name is Lars."</p><p>"<em>Lars?!</em>" Mark and Eka shout in unison, shocked to learn of the stranger's name.</p><p>And thus, the new chapter for Mark's life, that of the potential rivalry between him and Lars, will begin.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr">
  <span class="da-editor-bold">END OF CHAPTER 2</span>
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